The Great War, 1914–18, was the most convulsive, tragic and defining event in Australian history. Its sacrifices bequeathed the bond of nationhood. But such sacrifice left the young country fractured by politics, religion and class, …

The numbers are stark and brutal. Out of a population of five million, more than 60,000 Australians were killed in the First World War and at least 137,000 more were wounded. But the statistics don’t …

When governments send their militaries into conflicts, the forces usually suffer combat losses—deaths of people and destruction of machines. Between East Timor in 1999 and now, though, there have been (only) 60 deaths as a …

The Australian public turned against the war in Afghanistan a long time ago. In 2010, I argued (PDF) that the mission’s fading prospects for success provided the key explanation. But James Brown has recently argued …